1. Field of the Invention (Technical Field)
The invention relates to pallets for shipping and moving items, specifically to a shipping pallet formed by continuous extrusion or pultrusion or molding.
2. Background Art
Pallets are used in shipping and storing to promote ready loading, unloading, and movement of items by mechanized equipment such as forklifts. A pallet provides a flat level surface upon which the shipped item, or stack of items, may be placed an/or secured. The pallet typically has a space or spaces into which the tines of a forklift may be inserted to lift and move the shipped item or items. Also, pallets serve the beneficial function of supporting the shipped item several inches off the floor, thus providing some measure of protection against wet and dusty floors and the like. Pallets traditionally have been manufactured at the least possible cost, with the result that most pallets are fashioned from very low-end lumber.
The use of low-quality lumber has allowed pallets to be manufactured in a variety of shapes and sizes, and also has permitted pallets to be treated as essentially disposable. Thus, pallets frequently are used one-way; sometimes recycled at the shipping destination, just as commonly they are landfilled or discarded after one or two uses.
More recently, plastic pallets have been introduced to the shipping industry, especially in circumstances where cleanliness is important. Traditional wooden pallets tend to attract and harbor a variety of insect and other pests. Moreover, most wooden pallets must have cross-boards fastened on the top and bottom thereof; the failure of board fasteners and the loss of cross-boards is the dominant failure mode for typical lumber pallets.
From the foregoing background, the present invention was developed.